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Hancock-Adams Common Dedication September 8th

Mayor Thomas P. Koch announced today that the City will formally dedicate its long-envisioned civic space at the heart of downtown, the Hancock-Adams Common, in a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday September 8 featuring Governor Charlie Baker and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough.

The ceremony will be capped by the public unveiling of monument-scale statues of John Adams and John Hancock, native sons who left an immeasurable mark on American history. The ceremony will also be the first opportunity for the public to enjoy the park, created on what was once a four-lane road separating the historic First Parish Church and old City Hall.

The statue of Hancock, the Commonwealth’s first governor, will be unveiled by Governor Baker while McCullough, whose masterpiece biography of Adams recast the second president as among the nation’s most important founders and later was made into an acclaimed HBO miniseries, will unveil the statues

“It is beyond time that these great patriots are honored in a way that truly befits the role they played in our nation’s history,” said Mayor Koch. “ The Hancock Adams Common is an opportunity for the community, visitors and future generations to appreciate the City of Quincy’s historic past while at the same time creating a vibrant new civic space for our downtown.”

The park, which includes more than 30 mature new trees, public gathering spaces, and two major water features, was funded entirely through state grants and the City’s hotel room tax. A variation of the concept – eliminating the traffic in front of the church where the Adams presidents and their wives are buried in favor of a park – has been part of the City’s downtown vision for decades.

The statues will be on a scale of national monuments dedicated to these great American patriots and historic revolutionaries, John Hancock and John Adams, who were both Quincy natives. The City of Presidents is the birthplace of President John Adams, President John Quincy Adams and President of the Second Continental Congress John Hancock.

Quincy, known as “The City of Presidents”, stands as one of the only cities to invest in such a display of tribute honoring these men and their spirit for the future.

“The City of Quincy stands on the foundation of 2 of the leading pillars of our U.S. history’s early settlement.” said Mayor Koch. “I invite everyone to enjoy this historic celebration as a community rich in history with a vision for our future generations.”

The city has a unique perspective, embarking on a downtown renewal initiative to preserve the rich past while building for the future.